News

New Granada Records (U.S.) and Waterslide Records (Japan) announce a new limited split 10-inch EP between two ’90s indie/punk/DIY/emo pioneers, Pohgoh and Samuel S.C.  (formerly known as Samuel).

The two bands have been re-inspired this past decade (2018 for Pohgoh and 2021 for SSC), both recording and releasing new music and touring. The bands reconnected last fall while Susie and Keith of Pohgoh flew up to see Jawbox in Pennsylvania with Samuel S.C. opening. Talk quickly turned toward some sort of collaboration, resulting in this new four-song split 10″/EP.

Since coming back into the public eye in 2017 after a 20-year break, Tampa, FL’s Pohgoh have been going non-stop with two J. Robbins (Jawox/Burning Airlines) produced albums (2018’s Secret Club and 2022’s du und ich) and tours of the U.S. and Japan.  While playing regional and local shows, the band continue to write for the future, with the latest being “I’m A Fan” and “The Interlude,” one half of the new split 10-inch EP with Samuel S.C.

Singer and guitarist Susie says, “Our bassist Brian brought us a super catchy song. I knew I wanted to write something happy and actually turned out a love song, which is rare for me!”

Samuel began in the early ’90s in State College, PA as a queer punk rock outfit that relentlessly toured the legendary DIY hardcore/punk circuit alongside notables of the time such as Avail, The Promise Ring, Chamberlain, and dozens more. Samuel was the flagship artist of drummer Eric Astor’s revered label Art Monk Construction, producing beloved seven-inches including a legendary split with then-unknown Texas is the Reason.

The band reformed in 2021 with a lineup change (new bassist Michael Honch of Continuals and Alarms & Controls) and added S.C. (State College) to their moniker as a nod to their origins. Today Samuel S.C. regularly and energetically performs and records new music, adeptly shedding any dangers of a “nostalgic act” tag and carving out space as a relevant force in the contemporary punk/indie/DIY scene.

Of the song “Evergreen,” vocalist Vanessa Downing says, “Drawing from both direct and peripheral experience navigating mid-life and beyond, the lyrics confront long term personal and cultural demons while also accepting that some things never change.”